MONROE — As authorities continue to search for the missing 5-year-old Nevaeh Buchanan, friends and relatives gathered Monday night to pray for her safe return.

More than 50 people came to share tears and hugs at the apartment complex where the girl was last seen about 6:30 p.m. Sunday.

“Our hearts ache for you,” said the Rev. Dale Hayford of Monroe Crosswalk Community Church. “We need to pray for a miracle today.”

Nevaeh was last seen playing in the parking lot of the Charlotte Arms apartment complex, 1160 North Macomb St. in Monroe, where she lives with her mother Jennifer Buchanan and grandmother Sherry Buchanan.

Earlier Monday law enforcement officials, family members, and area residents Monday walked through wooded areas and backyards, along creeks, and in shopping centers looking for Nevaeh.

So far, she has not been found.

Monroe County Sheriff’s Lt. Todd Opperman said authorities were interviewing everyone in the apartment complex and following tips called in from the community.

“We’re checking everything that we can check,” he said, adding they will search for the girl “as long as it takes.”

The sheriff’s office detained Monday two people for questioning — a registered sex offender who was a friend of the girl’s mother and the other a transient seen in the area. Both men were being questioned, but neither was a suspect, authorities said.

George Kennedy, 39, who lives in a hotel at 15390 Dixie Hwy., was taken into custody Sunday night on parole violations and was questioned. He has been registered as a sex offender in Michigan since 2002, according to the Michigan State Police Web site. He was convicted on one count each of attempted criminal sexual conduct and attempted children-accosting for immoral purposes, according to the Michigan State Police.

An Amber Alert was issued by the sheriff’s office for the girl who was last seen at 6:30 p.m. Sunday in the parking lot of the Charlotte Arms apartment complex, 1160 North Macomb St. in Monroe.

Nevaeh’s mother has confirmed she was friends with Kennedy.

Police found the girl’s bicycle in the parking lot of the apartment complex and believe she was abducted and is in extreme danger.

She was last seen wearing a red-white-and-blue shirt and knee-length jeans. Nevaeh is 3-foot-8 and weighs 45 pounds. She has brown hair and brown eyes.

Call the Monroe County Sheriff’s department at 734-243-7070 if you have any information about the missing girl, or call 911.

Is this accurate? The reason I am questioning is because none of the other reports say this. Wonder if the Grandmother was home when she went missing?

Y'all are right, this mother acts like she has this story all planned out as to what happened to her daughter. This is really a sad case.

I am guessing it is right Bluesy. If you read a page or two back, her mom Sherry had guardianship of little Nevaeh. It looks like she took it back in '06 when "mom" was heading to jail. Mom just got off of probation in Jan. of this year and they hadn't been back to court to terminate the guardianship yet. (at least according to court records)

We have yet to hear whether Grandmama was home at the time the little one went missing though.

The search continues this morning for a 5-year-old girl who disappeared while playing outside her Monroe apartment Sunday.Advertisement

Calls about Neviaeh Buchanan, who has been missing since 6:30 p.m. Sunday, have been streaming into the Monroe County Sheriff's Office, and investigators are following them all, Major Dale Malone said.

"We’re just working around the clock," Malone said at 6:30 a.m. today, adding the FBI and the Michigan State Police are also on the case. "We have a whole room full of people here. We've been taking tips all night."

Investigators issued an Amber Alert after Nevaeh was last seen in the parking lot of the Charlotte Arms apartment complex on North Macomb.

Police questioned her mother's boyfriend, George Kennedy, a registered sex offender, Malone said. They have also released a man Malone described as a transient after questioning him.

He declined to discuss where investigators were searching for the little girl this morning.

Malone did not know this morning if Kennedy was still with police. Kennedy, 39, was convicted in March 2002 of fourth degree criminal sexual conduct and home invasion, according to his Michigan Department of Correction records. Part of his parole agreement includes orders that an adult must be present when he's with a child under the age of 17, and he's not allowed to have a romantic relationship with a person associated with a child.

Kennedy is also forbidden to have children's clothing, toys or games, and he must stay at least 1000 feet from schools, childcare centers, parks, pools, playgrounds and arcades, records say.

He was sentenced in March 2002 to serve two to 15 years in prison, but was released on parole in July 2007. His parole is scheduled to end in July.

There's just too much in this article to highlite, so I stopped. I am praying hard for this little girl, trying not to give up hope. But the part I did highlight gives me some pause, wondering if they know. . .

Article published May 26, 2009Search continues for Monroe girl, 550 gather to pray for safe return

MONROE — As the hours crept by with no word on missing 5-year-old Nevaeh Buchanan, family and friends grew more worried Monday night about the little girl.

She disappeared Sunday evening from the parking lot of her apartment complex while playing outside.

“Every time I close my eyes, I see her face and I just want peace in my heart,” said the girl’s grandmother, Sherry Buchanan, who has custody of Nevaeh.

Overcome with emotion, she said she is praying someone will bring her back.

“She’s my world.”

More than 50 people gathered for a candlelight vigil last night to pray for the girl’s safe return and to support her family through this difficult time.

George Kennedy, a registered sex offender, was questioned by authorities. He is a friend of the missing child’s mother, Jennifer Buchanan.

Earlier in the day, law enforcement officials, family members, and strangers searched the woods, backyards, creeks, and shopping centers of this community with no success.

The Monroe County Sheriff’s Office detained two people for questioning, one of them a registered sex offender who was a friend of the girl’s mother, and the other a transient seen in the area.

Maj. Dan Motylinski of the sheriff’s office said both men were being questioned, but neither was a suspect.

“We’re still searching, still looking,” Major Motylinski said last night.

Authorities said they would search as long as it takes to find her.

Nevaeh was last seen at 8 p.m. Sunday in the parking lot of the Charlotte Arms apartment complex, 1160 North Macomb St. in Monroe, where she lives with her mother, Jennifer Buchanan, and grandmother.

The sheriff’s office issued an Amber Alert Sunday night that described the girl as wearing a light blue sleeveless shirt with red and white horizontal stripes and a white v-neck collar and blue jean shorts with no shoes or socks.

Nevaeh (pronounced Nuh-VAY-uh) has long brown hair, brown eyes, is about 3 feet, 8 inches tall, and weighs 45 pounds. When the Amber Alert was issued, authorities said they believed she was abducted and in extreme danger.

Ms. Buchanan, 24, said her daughter has never wandered off before.

She said another little girl and her mother had stayed over in her apartment, and the two girls had been outside playing in the parking lot for 30-40 minutes when the other little girl came in to tell Ms. Buchanan that Nevaeh was “riding her scooter in the road,” which Ms. Buchanan said meant the parking lot.

She went out to tell Nevaeh not to do that, and was unable to find her.

She became scared when she found the scooter after more than a half hour of searching and called police to report the child missing.

Lt. Todd Opperman of the sheriff’s office said the search effort also involves the FBI, Michigan State Police, and Monroe city police.

He said the apartment complex was searched room-by-room several times and last night authorities closed the road to re-interview everybody.

“We’re checking everything that we can check,” he said.

Lieutenant Opperman said George Kennedy, 39, was taken into custody Sunday night on parole violations and was questioned.

Kennedy, of 15390 Dixie Hwy., which is a motel, has been registered as a sex offender in Michigan since 2002.

He was convicted on one count each of attempted criminal sexual conduct and attempted children-accosting for immoral purposes, according to the Michigan State Police.

Criminal sexual conduct in the third degree involves forced sexual penetration with a person between the ages of 13 and 16. Child-accosting can involve any child younger than 16.

Ms. Buchanan said she was good friends with Kennedy for about two years and denied they were dating.

He called her regularly in the mornings, she said, but the last time she had seen him was four days ago. Ms. Buchanan said she knew he was a registered sex offender.

She said her daughter knew him well enough that she would have gotten into a car with him.

“She is that comfortable with him. I don’t want to point any fingers, but I’m pretty sure that she would. We’ve known him for a quite awhile,” Ms. Buchanan said. She said she called Kennedy about 8 p.m. Sunday to tell him the police wanted to talk to him.

Strangers gave portions of their day yesterday to help in the search, and people came and went throughout the day from the apartment complex on the north side of the city.

At the candlelight vigil, friends and relatives shed tears and shared hugs as they prayed for Nevaeh.

Michael Buchanan, the older brother of Nevaeh’s mother, was overcome with emotion during the vigil.

“I never thought in a million years anything would happen to her,” he said of his niece.

“I don’t know who would do this. There’s a lot of stuff going through my mind right now.”

He said his family was thankful for everyone’s support and hopes that somebody will call the police with information to help find the girl.

Nevaeh’s father, Shane Hinojosa, 22, of Toledo, said he has not seen his daughter for three years “because me and her mom had issues going on.”

He said he was asked to be interviewed under a lie detector and he agreed, and that Ms. Buchanan was also cooperating with a request for a lie detector interview.

The mother was interviewed by authorities for several hours yesterday while Mr. Hinojosa waited at the apartment complex.

“I feel empty just standing here not able to do anything,” said Mr. Hinojosa, who has his daughter’s name tattooed on his arm.

He said he was “sick to my stomach” over what happened and vowed to walk miles to find her and make up for the time he’s missed with her.

He was searching yesterday with members of his family, including his sister, his mother, and his grandmother.

Jennifer Buchanan’s cousin, Shaun Lawson, 30, who lives in the same complex, said family members had warned Ms. Buchanan against the relationship with Kennedy.

Mr. Lawson said he was worried about the little girl.

“The scary thing about this is you see it on TV all the time. And a lot of the kids never come back. They’re gone forever,” Mr. Lawson said.

Anyone with information about the whereabouts of Nevaeh is asked to call the Monroe County Sheriff’s Office at 734-243-7070.

If this was the case, maybe one might have thought twice when you would allow your daughter, Jennifer Buchanan, to associate with a convicted sex offender and expose 5 year old Nevaeh Buchanan to such an individual. That is correct, two individuals have been taken into custody and questioned by police in the disappearance of Nevaeh Buchanan. One is a transient seen in the area. The other is George Kennedy, a convicted sex offender and friend of Nevaeh Buchanan’s mother, Jennifer Buchanan. Police are stating that both men are being questioned, but neither are suspects. Where have we heard that before?

How does a parent put their child at such risk and in harm’s way? Why do we feel that this missing persons case was over before it ever began?

there are just so many things that I want to say right now about a lot of things said in these articles and none of it is nice so best that I just keep my mouth shut for the moment! grrrrr...I am so pissy right now!

one thing that I can't keep to myself....when are these mothers going to stop putting the "friendship" of a man before the well being of their own children? who in their right mind would have a SO for a friend when you have a young daughter? also, did the grand mother know that this "friend" is a SO????

Police confirmed Monday that they took two people into custody for questioning. We have learned from the Monroe County Sheriff's Dept that one of those people is George Kennedy, the boyfriend of mother Jennifer Buchanan. He remains in custody for a parole violation, although no charges have been filed against either person being questioned.

News 11's Tim Miller reports that Kennedy has been listed in Michigan since 2002 as a sex offender. His charges were "attempted criminal sexual conduct" and "attempted children-accosting for immoral purposes."

If this was the case, maybe one might have thought twice when you would allow your daughter, Jennifer Buchanan, to associate with a convicted sex offender and expose 5 year old Nevaeh Buchanan to such an individual. That is correct, two individuals have been taken into custody and questioned by police in the disappearance of Nevaeh Buchanan. One is a transient seen in the area. The other is George Kennedy, a convicted sex offender and friend of Nevaeh Buchanan’s mother, Jennifer Buchanan. Police are stating that both men are being questioned, but neither are suspects. Where have we heard that before?

How does a parent put their child at such risk and in harm’s way? Why do we feel that this missing persons case was over before it ever began?

Who the hell was looking out for 5 year old Nevaeh Buchanan?

Sadly, not even the grandma that had custody of the child. She cared enough to gain guardianship but didn't care enough to keep sex offenders out of the child's life?

He was sentenced in March 2002 to serve two to 15 years in prison, but was released on parole in July 2007. His parole is scheduled to end in July.

--snipped--

Regardless of whether George had anything to do with Nevaeh's disappearance, this right here is ridiculous!!!! These SO's aren't getting off way to easy....even if he would have served the entire 15 years! When will our justice system learn

He was sentenced in March 2002 to serve two to 15 years in prison, but was released on parole in July 2007. His parole is scheduled to end in July.

--snipped--

Regardless of whether George had anything to do with Nevaeh's disappearance, this right here is ridiculous!!!! These SO's aren't are getting off way to easy....even if he would have served the entire 15 years! When will our justice system learn

He was sentenced in March 2002 to serve two to 15 years in prison, but was released on parole in July 2007. His parole is scheduled to end in July.

--snipped--

Regardless of whether George had anything to do with Nevaeh's disappearance, this right here is ridiculous!!!! These SO's aren't are getting off way to easy....even if he would have served the entire 15 years! When will our justice system learn

SELF EDIT

how many little children have to suffer before these pervs start getting what they deserve...either life in prison, no parole ever, or death...which would suit me just fine....and they should not be in a cushy prison cell either...hard labor for the rest of their lives....

Search goes on for missing 5-year-old Monroe girlMay 26, 2009 The search continues this morning for a 5-year-old girl who disappeared while playing outside her Monroe apartment Sunday.

Calls about Neviaeh Buchanan, who has been missing since 6:30 p.m. Sunday, have been streaming into the Monroe County Sheriff's Office, and investigators are following them all, Major Dale Malone said.

"We’re just working around the clock," Malone said at 6:30 a.m. today, adding the FBI and the Michigan State Police are also on the case. "We have a whole room full of people here. We've been taking tips all night."

Investigators issued an Amber Alert after Nevaeh was last seen in the parking lot of the Charlotte Arms apartment complex on North Macomb.

Police questioned her mother's boyfriend, George Kennedy, a registered sex offender, Malone said. They have also released a man Malone described as a transient after questioning him.

He declined to discuss where investigators were searching for the little girl this morning.

Malone did not know this morning if Kennedy was still with police. Kennedy, 39, was convicted in March 2002 of fourth degree criminal sexual conduct and home invasion, according to his Michigan Department of Correction records. Part of his parole agreement includes orders that an adult must be present when he's with a child under the age of 17, and he's not allowed to have a romantic relationship with a person associated with a child.

Kennedy is also forbidden to have children's clothing, toys or games, and he must stay at least 1000 feet from schools, childcare centers, parks, pools, playgrounds and arcades, records say.

He was sentenced in March 2002 to serve two to 15 years in prison, but was released on parole in July 2007. His parole is scheduled to end in July.